Farrow & Ball poor coverage

[Foxinsocks1]

Using F&B for the first time, 3 coats in to painting over a cream and it’s obvious it’s going to need a 4th coat. We’ve never had to do more than 2 coats when using other brands even over strong colours. Is this normal?

I've never used F&B myself, but I have seen 3/4 others complain about poor coverage on instagram (I follow a lot of home inspiration accounts)

We normally do an undercoat in a cheap non F&B in a similar colour

We normally do an undercoat in a cheap non F&B in a similar colour

Wish I’d done that. I love the colour, tried a dupe from a mix your own colour thing but it didn’t have the right tones and depths but I’m not sure I’ll be using F&B again.

I’ve read about people having problems but I’ve never experienced it. I do prefer Little Greene - it’s a thicker consistency and seems to spread much further. Are you painting onto lining paper or bare plaster? These will both absorb a lot.

Is it emulsion or gloss?
My front door took 5 coats of gloss! I'm pleased with the finished result but I don't think I'd have gone with f&b if I'd known.

Wow, I’ve never used F&B but that is terrible coverage!
It’ll be worth it when it’s done.

This happened to me too - I used Moles Breath which is really, really dark , on cream and it took 3 coats and nicely blistered as it dried, but thankfully the blisters disappeared when dry.

I love the colour but no way would I use it again. Made a simple quick painting of one wall a right pain. I would do a dulux colour match if I wanted a F & B colour again.

I had an apple green painted room and used 3 coats of Dulux Timeless and it still didn’t cover properly. I hated the timeless so covered it in F&B calamine and it looks lovely now. I’ve used F&B before and only ever needed two coats apart from the time that I used an undercoat over a red wall. I’ve usually went for darker colours though.

I've used an undercoat and 2 coats of F&B throughout my house and the coverage has been fine.

I think it's not particularly hardwearing though if you have young children.

I am not especially a fan of F&B but they are really clear in their instructions that you must use a primer. If you don't you will need at least one extra coat of the colour.

I’d also suggest Little Greene. Much better paint, especially the Oil Eggshell. It’s very durable and wipeable for wood. The Estate Eggshell is a fully wipeable total matte. Lovely.

Are you using a brush or a roller? Talk about the emperor's new clothes if you have to use a primer first with emulsion.

Yeah I have heard the same. I get f&b tester pots and if I like the shade I take the paint chart to b&q. They mix the shade in valspar paint. Great coverage and much cheaper

I've just done a wall in a F&B colour but colour matched in Johnstone's paint and it only needed one coat.

We only used two, someone else did it though, they were better at it than I would be

Which colour are you using?

I haven’t had any issue with the coverage, but dulux matt washable is identical and easier to go on, with the same creamy Chalky finish. You can get it colour matched.

I used Johnstons trade paint made up to a F&B colour. It was Ammonite and the colour matched the tester perfectly. F&B paint is notorious for bad coverage.

My decorator tries not to use it. We got similar colours made and tbh I can't tell the difference. Also in high traffic areas like halls and kitchens you need something robust that can be wiped and F&B can't be.

I’m really surprised to see such bad reviews. Perhaps it’s the type. The matt emulsion is really bad in terms of durability - it marks really easily but the modern emulsion is really hard wearing. I have it on my kitchen walls and can be scrubbed clean. Same as Little Greene.

I also tried colour matching for my kitchen and went to Johnstones and Dulux and they were nothing alike. Not only the shades but tones too. It wasn’t even that much cheaper. I think the Dulux kitchen paint colour matched was only £10 less and this was in a decorator centre.

Johnstone’s have a licence agreement with F&B - far better to get Johnstone’s as the colour is identical and the paint hard wearing.

Johnstones definitely isn’t an exact match!
The right, bottom colour is F&B Great White and on top is the Johnstones colour match. Nice colour but not at all similar enough to claim a match.

Johnstones was much cheaper than Dulux though.

We have F&B all over our house and it's always gone on like a dream.

I posted on another similar thread a couple of days ago, may be worth a search. It peeled off all or walls two days after it went on. Shite.

I've never had trouble with it.